Serving Time
by An Emo and A Nerd
Summary: AU-Annabeth gets a phone call one night, from a man named Percy Jackson. Apparently, Percy doesn't remember his mother's number, and he is in jail. He needs to be bailed out before the next morning, otherwise he will lose his job. Annabeth doesn't normally rescue random strangers, especially ones in jail, but there is something about this one... Story by Nerd. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Annabeth's phone vibrates, making her purse shake. Embarrassed, she smiles at Luke. "Do you mind?"

His hand clasps hers, and he squeezes. "Of course not,"

Annabeth pulls her chair back from the table. She kisses Luke on the cheek before walking to the women's bathroom of the restaurant, pressing the _Accept_ icon on her phone.

"Annabeth Chase,"

Silence.

"Hello?" She asks. _If this is a prank call I swear to gods._

"Is this not Sally Jackson?" The voice asks. It's a man, sounding stressed and… in pain.

"Who is this?" Annabeth asks.

"Uhh, I'm Percy Jackson. Is this your phone?"

 _Gods._ She looks at her phone. "Of course it's my phone." She snaps, irritated.

He sighs. "Oh. I'm… I'm really sorry to bother you. It's just…"

Annabeth thinks she hears a voice on the phone telling the man he has three minutes left.

Annabeth frowns. "Who are you? How did you get this number?"

He- Percy pauses. "I thought this was my mom's number."

"How in the world could you have thought this was your mother's number?"

"I… I never had a phone. Until last year. And I just can't seem to memorize her number."

Annabeth almost smirks. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-one."

Her almost-smirk fades. "Where are you that you only have…" She looks at the watch on her wrist, "One minute and forty five seconds left?"

"Long Island Prison." He whispers dejectedly.

Annabeth almost chokes. "Long Island Prison?" She repeats, her mouth gone dry. _What in the world is a twenty-one year old assumably poor person doing in a prison for hardened… murderers?_ Than she corrects herself. _He could be a murderer._

"Why are you there?" She asks, before she realizes it is a personal question. But something about this man intrigues her. He is like a man she met in one of the novels she reads.

He answers without a heartbeat. "I punched my stepfather. In the head. And the arm. And his other arm. And his-"

"Okay, okay, I get it! But why would they put you in a prison designed for murderers and gang members?

"My stepfather has connections at this prison. He pressed charges, and his mountain of lawyer friends got me put in here. This is his form of punishment."

 _Wow. Messed-up stepfather._ "And your mother?"

Percy pauses. "I need her to bail me out of here. If I don't get out of here in time for work tomorrow, I'll lose my job," Percy coughs, then mutters, "and I need the money."

Annabeth can't believe what she is planning to do. She quickly shuts down the logical part of her brain with, _It'll be my kind act for the week, no the month._

"Sit tight uh, Percy. I'm going to-"

 _Click._ The line went dead.

"Gods!" She screams in frustration.

Annabeth quickly grabs her purse, shoves her phone in it, and walks back to her table to her fiance.

"Luke, I'm so sorry. I just got a call from work. I have to go. The freaking electrician put the main electricity wire by the support beams on the _wrong side of the building._ I can't believe I have to go fix this."

It startles Annabeth how quickly she can lie to Luke, but she pushes it aside.

Luke smiles warmly. "Go. I can't wait to see the orphanage when it's finished. You're going to save a lot of children's lives, Annabeth."

Annabeth blushes. "I won't be the one taking care of them. Just designing the building. Love you." She kisses Luke and walks out of the restaurant.

Annabeth slides into her blue Toyota Camry and sets her GPS to Long Island Prison. "Mystery man, here I come."

Annabeth walks into the prison forty minutes later. The woman at the desk gives her an odd look, but doesn't say anything out loud. Annabeth can only imagine what she is thinking. She walks up to the woman and says, "I'm here to bail someone out of jail."

The woman raises her eyebrows but looks at her screen. "Name?" She drawls.

"Annabeth Chase."

"No. The name of the person you want to bail out."

Annabeth wants to slap herself. Normally she wouldn't be so idiotic, but the jail has her on edge. It is relatively clean, but the man staring at her in the chair behind her does nothing to ease her nervousness. "Percy…" She tries to recall the man's last name. _Jackren… Jacksim… Jackson!_ "Jackson," She finishes.

The woman pecks at the keys, then turns to face her. "Five hundred dollars. You can pay ten percent now and leave with him, then pay the rest later."

 _Five hundred dollars… even paying fifty dollars now seems ridiculous._ But Annabeth dutifully pulls out her wallet and hands the woman five ten-dollar bills. The woman grabs a ring of keys and disappears through a wooden door by her desk.

Annabeth waits patiently by the desk until the door opens again and Percy walks out. Annabeth freezes, staring at him. He has messy black hair, the most gorgeous sea-green eyes she has _ever_ seen, and a tall, skinny form. He walks with confidence, but his face is guarded. His clothes are torn in some places and wrinkled.

"You." He looks at her, surprised. "You came."

Annabeth smiles, also guarding her face. "Well, you seemed to be in a pretty bad situation."

Percy studies her. "I wasn't aware I called an angel."

Annabeth feels her face redden, and it slowly dawns on Percy what he had said. "No! No! I meant that you were an angel because you bailed me out, not your looks."

Annabeth raises an eyebrow.

Again, Percy realizes what he had said. "I mean, you _are_ pretty, it's not, I wasn't saying you weren't, just that I…" He slowly trails off, running a hand through his hair. He only succeeds in making it messier.

Annabeth motions to him with her arm. "Let's go."

Percy stands there. "You don't have to take me with you. I can call my mom."

"With the number you can't seem to remember?"

Percy bites his lip. "I can walk."

Annabeth laughs. "Yeah. I don't know where you live, but I assume you don't live by this dump, and you look like you haven't eaten in a few days. Stop being stubborn."

Percy reluctantly follows her, letting her lead except for when he stepped in front of her to open the door of the jail.

The drive back was in silence, except for the radio playing softly. That is, until a song from The Graeae came on, and Percy turns it up. "I love this song!" He said excitedly.

Annabeth smiles. "Me, too!"

Together, they sing. Annabeth is surprised Percy isn't bad, and Percy likes listening to Annabeth's soft, unconfident voice.

When the song ends, Annabeth turns off the radio completely. "Where do you live?"

Percy hesitates. "In an apartment off of 19th Street. By the new orphanage Athena Architecture is building."

Annabeth laughs. "I'm in charge of that project! I run Athena Architecture with my half brother, Malcolm."

Percy's eyes light up. "Really? I think it is awesome you are building an orphanage for what has to be lower pay than you usually get."

Annabeth nods. "It is one of the charity cases we work on per year. Last year was a homeless shelter in Montauk."

Percy's eyes slowly widen. "Charity… money… bail! Oh my gods, how much did you pay?"

Annabeth keeps her eyes on the road. "Fifty. But you have to pay four hundred and fifty more. I think by the end of the year."

Percy's mouth drops. "You paid it for me? Oh my gods, I promise I'll pay you back as soon as I have the money…"

Annabeth shakes her head. "Don't worry about it. Focus on getting the other four hundred and fifty, okay?"

But Percy just shakes his head slowly. Annabeth decides to change the subject. "So, if you don't mind me asking, why did you punch your stepfather?"

Percy's eyes harden. "He hit my mother."

Annabeth's stomach drops. She already hates Percy's stepfather, but now she starts to despise him. "That's terrible." She murmurs.

Percy nods curtly. "That's why I hit him." Annabeth notices his fists clench in and out. The blue and purple bruises on his knuckles ripple with the movement, but Percy shows no sign of pain, unlike his voice on the phone.

"Look," Percy says, turning in the seat to face her, "I don't want you to think I'm a bad person. I just… I just can't stand anyone disrespecting my mother. She's all I have left, and when I walked in to see her with a _black eye…_ something in me snapped. Gabe always ordered her around and treated her like crap, but he hasn't _hit_ her before."

Annabeth smiles slightly and nods. "That's too far."

" _Exactly._ And when I hit him, he didn't even fight against me. It's like he knew he would be able to put me in jail. I can't imagine what he has done to her since I've been gone."

Annabeth knew better than to press him on his stepfather. "You're close with your mother."

Percy's eyes lit up with a burning intensity. _Love_. "Very. She used to make me these blue foods… just because I love blue. And she worked many jobs just to be able to make that _pig_ satisfied. When he was happy...he stayed away from me."

Annabeth clenches her jaw. The idea that people exist like this in the world makes her furious. Her whole life she has wanted to change the world, and she thought the charity projects were helping. But clearly, there was much more even in her own _backyard_ than she can fix. "Percy, I'm truly sorry."

Percy jumps in his seat, almost surprise at the fierceness of her words. He stares at the road, seeming to be deeply in thought. Suddenly his eyes widen, and he points to a turn. "Turn right up here."

Annabeth complies, and they pull up to a run-down apartment complex. Annabeth slows to a stop in front of the wooden steps leading down to a floor of doors and up to a floor of more doors. Annabeth can only assume each of those doors is an apartment room.

But with the spacing between the doors and the edge of the building, Annabeth hypothesizes each room can only be about twenty feet by thirty feet. Just enough room for a small kitchen and a bed, maybe a small dresser. _It's all he can manage._ She reminds herself.

Percy opens the car door and slowly gets out of the car. He fidgets with his fingers, then mumbles, "You should come in. I can make you dinner. It's late, and it's the least I can do to repay you."

Annabeth opens her mouth to respond, but is cut off when her phone starts to ring.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter is a little shorter than the first, but I thought it was an okay place to end it. Enjoy! -XOXO Nerd**

Annabeth's hands shake as she puts down the phone. Percy reaches out to grab her shoulder when he sees tears streaming down her cheeks, but he thinks better of it when he sees her ring. The band is silver, and a rather large diamond is settled on top. Smaller diamonds trail down the sides as well. Percy can only imagine what it cost.

"Are you okay?" He asks, genuinely concerned. He awkwardly crouches halfway in the car and halfway out of the car.

Annabeth just sobs again. Percy opens her car door and gently pulls her out of the seat, leading her into his apartment.

Before Annabeth knows it, she is in Percy's apartment, sipping from a hot mug of coffee. Percy is sitting on the couch next to her, gently rubbing her back and looking a little uncomfortable.

Annabeth looks around through the tears. There is a small counter, two silver blobs that must be a stove and a microwave, and a white square that looks like a mini fridge. There is no wall dividing the kitchen from the main living space, which has a twin bed in the corner and a small couch facing a TV. Annabeth estimates with her architect eye that the TV is about 32 inches by maybe 28. Annabeth also doesn't miss the fact that almost everything in the house is blue:blue walls, blue dresser, blue bedsheets, and even a blue counter.

When Annabeth stops crying, running out of tears, she turns to face Percy. "I am so, so, so s-sorry.T-this normally doesn't h-happen."

Percy smiles gently. "You bailed me out of jail, Annabeth. I think this is the least I could do to repay you. Plus, my mom would kill me if she found out that I just let you drive away."

Annabeth almost laughs at Percy's mother. "You can call her now," She points out, motioning to the phone on the counter, "I assume she is in your contact list."

Percy stares at her, not moving. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong?"

Annabeth closes her eyes. "My fiance. He got into a car accident with a semi on the highway. The car rolled over itself into a ditch. He… he was dead on the impact." She says the words quickly, like she wants to get them out.

Percy's stomach drops. "I can drive you somewhere. Does he have any family?"

Annabeth nods, slowly. "A mother. But she is in the Psychiatric Hospital in Bridgeport. I don't think I could manage a drive that long."

Percy nods. "Do you want me to drive you to your family?"

Annabeth shakes her head quickly. "No."

Percy knows better than to press the issue.

Annabeth studies Percy, who is sitting there looking down at his fingers. She decides to tell him the story even very few close friends know. "My mother left when I was little. I never knew her, so I don't really care. But my dad was great… until he married again.

"I used to have these night terrors, I thought spiders were crawling on me and biting me and… it was terrible. My dad went on long business trips, so most of the time it was just me, her, and her two kids with my dad. She never cared that I woke up sweating and crying. She never did anything about it.

"And when I told my dad about it, she said I was making it all up because I didn't like her. When I was seven I ran away. I found Luke, my…" Annabeth pauses, her eyes filling with new tears, "ex-fiance, and Thalia, one of my friends, on the streets. They knew this old man named Chiron. He took us all in, basically. He fed us three good meals a day and made sure we went to school. He was like our adoptive father."

Percy nods, urging her to go on. His green eyes are filled with both curiosity and sadness.

"Well, he gave us jobs at the bookstore he owns. And that's where I got the money to pay for college. I was in the middle of getting my degree in architecture when I found Malcom. Er, he found me. He's my mother's son. He was getting his degree in Business, so we started Athena Architecture. Luke and I started dating after our high school graduation. He proposed last year, on the anniversary of the day I met him and Thalia…" Annabeth trails off, her head filled with memories.

Percy can't imagine how Annabeth survived. _I thought my life was hard…_ "Are you in contact with either of your parents today?"

Annabeth's grey eyes harden. "No. My dad keeps trying to meet me for lunch, but I ignore him. He had the chance to be my dad, and someone else had to step up for him. And my mom is a terrible person. She keeps having children with different men, and I don't want to expose myself to that. I keep tabs on her children, my… my half siblings, mostly making sure they have a good life and don't end up on the streets, but they don't know I exist. I hope they never will."

Again, Percy wants to reach out and grab her hand in support, but he refrains. _Her fiance just died. Hold yourself together._ "And Chiron?"

Annabeth's mouth curls up at the edges. "He keeps taking in more and more kids off the streets. He is going to be the legal owner of the orphanage, once it is finished." Annabeth flinches, looking up at Percy. "Don't tell anyone. It's a surprise."

Percy draws two fingers across his lips, like a zipper. "Lips sealed." He says.

Annabeth's eyes crinkle, like she is smiling with her eyes. "We meet him for lunch every Sunday, Luke and I." Her smile drops, and her eyes shine with helplessness. "Oh my gods," She whispers, "What am I going to tell him?"

Percy stands. "We can go to him now. If you need someone to drive you, that is. And if you are comfortable with me driving your car." His face reddens. "I don't have my own. I take the Subway, mostly."

Annabeth shakes her head, sadly. "I don't think I could face him right now. Can I drive you to your mother's?"

Percy looks surprised. "Uh, sure. If you want to. You don't have to, really, I'll be fine."

"I want to see her. She sounds wonderful."

Percy smiles, grabbing his phone off the counter. "I have an idea. We can stop by this pizza place on the way. My friend Grover works there. They make the most _amazing_ pizza. My mom and I both love it."

He opens the door, letting Annabeth walk out first. As they get into her car, Annabeth on the driver's side, Percy brings his phone to his ear. "Mom, I'm coming over. And I'm bringing someone you need to cheer up. Get out the blue cookies."


	3. Chapter 3

Sally Jackson opens the front door. "Hey, Percy, I have the cookies- oh!"

Percy looks at Annabeth, then back towards his mom. "Mom, this is Annabeth."

Sally wipes a hand that Annabeth assumes is covered with flour on her apron and holds it out to Annabeth. "Hi. I'm Sally Jackson."

Annabeth shakes her hand. "It's nice to meet you." Suddenly, Annabeth bursts into tears. Maybe it's the denial about the car crash disappearing, or maybe it's the fact that she has bailed a random stranger out of jail and is meeting his mother. But a weight has just been shoved on her shoulders, and it feels like she is trying to hold the world up by herself.

Sally stands shocked for a minute, but motions for Percy to help her. Together, they awkwardly support and lead Annabeth into their house and help her sit on the couch.

As Annabeth sits down on the couch, she forces herself to stop crying. _They are going to think I'm a weak, pathetic loser who can't control her emotions._ And that stops the tears. "I am so sorry," She says as she wipes the tears off of her face. "I promise this won't happen again, Percy."

Sally's mouth curls into what could be a smile. Covering her mouth, she mumbles something about cookies burning and rushes into a room that must be the kitchen.

Percy sits on the couch next to Annabeth. "Hey, it's perfectly okay. I cried for weeks when my dad left. Everyone needs to cry once in awhile." He pulls something out of his pocket and hands it to her. A tissue.

"Thanks," she murmurs.

Percy and Annabeth mutually slide away from each other as Sally walks into the room. Sally pauses in the doorway, raising her eyebrow and muttering to herself, but shakes her head and sets the cookies down on a tray.

Annabeth hesitates, looking at Percy. Percy nods, and Annabeth takes a cookie. "They- they really are blue." She says aloud, staring at the cookie. She bites in, and closes her eyes. The cookie melts on her tongue, a mix of chocolate and butter and something else Annabeth can't name. Some type of sugar? Milk? Vanilla. It's vanilla. "Wow… these are amazing!" She opens her eyes and smiles at Sally.

Sally smiles. Her smile crinkles her eyes at the corners, and her eyes sparkle. She has a kind of beauty that not many people have. You can tell she is tired and on the verge of collapse, but that smile could convince you in the middle of the world ending that everything is going to be okay.

Percy stares at Annabeth, and Sally can tell they are having a silent conversation. _How long has he known her? I thought he would've told me about a girlfriend, especially if their connection is this strong._

Annabeth turns toward Sally. "I guess you want to know why your son invited a complete stranger into your house at about," Annabeth loses focus, seeing how late it is. "Eleven o'clock at night?"

Sally's eyebrows raise a fraction of an inch. "You mean you haven't known him long?"

"Since four… five hours ago, maybe? I…" She glances at Percy, who nods slightly. "I bailed him out of jail, actually."

Sally's mouth opens in surprise. She studies Percy, and slowly covers her face with her hands. "Gabe pressed charges?" Sounds muffled through her fingers.

Percy shrugs. "Yeah. It's no big deal, mom. Are you okay? Did you cover up your bruise with makeup?"

Sally looks up at Percy. Annabeth didn't notice it before, but on her right cheekbone is a slightly darker colored patch of skin. With foundation, a bruise would look exactly like that.

Sally's face reddens. "Percy, don't worry about me. I'm fine. But I didn't know Gabe pressed charges… He told me you just went home. And on your birthday…"

Annabeth inhales sharply. "You didn't tell me it was your birthday." She accuses, eyes sharp. "I would've bailed you out and found someone else to dump my problems on."

"But then I wouldn't be here, with you." Percy objects. Then he blushes. _Her fiance just_ died _. What's wrong with you?_ He chides himself. "I didn't mean… I just meant that… sorry." He mutters, staring at the floor.

Sally watches all of this with a slight smirk. She liked Annabeth the moment she saw her, with her confident attitude and warm personality. Plus, she could see how Percy was usually smiling now, and that's all that mattered to her. As Annabeth fiddles with her fingers, Sally coughs to clear her throat. "So how about I hear this story from the beginning? It seems like I missed a lot."

Annabeth straightens, her eyes thanking Sally. "Picture this," She says, chuckling. "I'm in the middle of a dinner with my fiance…"

Annabeth and Percy take turns telling Sally the story. By the time Percy finishes (somewhat lamely) with, "So here we are", they have each had a cup of coffee. Sally is in the armchair, Annabeth is on the couch, and Percy is in a chair from the kitchen table.

Sally sees Annabeth stifle a yawn. "You can sleep in the extra bedroom. It used to be Percy's, but he moved out. He can sleep on the couch."

Annabeth stands. "No, no, I'm fine. Honestly. I'll drive home-" She sways, spots dancing before her eyes.

Percy sees her sway, and he reflexively stands.

Annabeth feels his hands press against her waist, supporting her. They gently guide her back to the couch. His face dances in the corner of her vision, concerned. "Thanks," She murmurs.

Percy shakes his head. "You stay here. Please?"

Annabeth sighs. His eyes- those gorgeous sea green eyes- half beg her and half command her to stay.

There is no way she can say no to him. Not after he listened to her sob story and his mother baked her cookies. Plus, it was his birthday for gods sake. "Of course," She says. She smiles as Percy's face lights up. _What have I gotten myself into?_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Yeah, I posted two chapters in one night. I'm just in a very write-ish mood right now! It might be in very poor quality because I was trying to type fast, plus it is mainly fluff this chapter. The next chapter is going to get _interesting,_ if I follow through with my idea. Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Enjoy!**

 **XOXO, Nerd**

Annabeth stares at her reflection in the mirror of the funeral parlor. She has dark circles under her eyes and her whole face seems to droop. Her eyes are red and itch from crying. Her nose is also red and won't stop running, causing Annabeth to use numerous tissues. _Oh, Luke._

The wake was terrible. Chiron, Thalia, and some of Luke's friends from high school and college were there. His younger coworkers from the law firm he worked at were there, and one even came to pay his respects to Annabeth.

Maybe it was because he was blind in one eye, but he unnerved Annabeth. He introduced himself as Ethan, Ethan Nakamura, and shook Annabeth's hand with an evil glint in his eye that made Annabeth's skin crawl. He acted like he knew something Annabeth didn't, which Annabeth couldn't stand.

Some of Luke's distant family members: cousins, second cousins, great aunts and uncles; were there, all from Luke's mother's side. They were all very polite, shaking Annabeth's hand and shedding a few tears. Annabeth didn't have a way of finding his father, or any of his father's family.

There was only one other person, besides Ethan, that seemed odd to Annabeth. She had glowing red eyes and brown hair, and the whole night she stayed far away from Annabeth.

Annabeth asked Thalia to go talk to her, and Thalia dutifully reported that her name was Kelli, and that she said she was a friend of Luke's. Annabeth remembers thinking that was odd. She knew most of Luke's friends, and Kelli seemed too cold to know warm, loving Luke.

They had Luke cremated earlier today, as he wasn't really religious. Annabeth knew someone who worked at the funeral parlor so they hosted the wake on such short notice.

Annabeth was handed the urn of his ashes. To her credit, she didn't cry. Her heart just felt empty and sad, and that was even worse. She felt like she _should_ be crying, and that since she wasn't she was a terrible person.

Annabeth tears her eyes away from the mirror to look down at her phone. The screen reads:

 **Percy Jackson: Hey, how are you doing?**

Annabeth smiles. _He thought of me._ **Fine.** She responds. Not ten seconds later, her phone rings. She picks it up and puts it against her ear.

"Liar," Percy's voice sounds accusatory, even over the phone.

"What?"

"I said you're lying."

"So, I spend one night crying at your house and your mom's house and you have me all figured out, huh?" Annabeth doesn't mean for it to come out so harshly.

Percy is silent for a minute, and Annabeth worries she crossed the line. But then he coughs… or laughs, Annabeth can't tell. "Well, I figured you would be the type to get cranky when you're upset."

Annabeth smiles. "Oh, did you?"

"I did. I also figure you aren't religious."

Annabeth raises an eyebrow but nods. "Yeah,"

"You don't have any animals."

"Correct."

"Your favorite holiday is Christmas."

Something clicks. "Did you google me?" She asks.

She can almost see Percy smirk. "Maybe,"

Annabeth can only imagine what he saw. She picks up her purse and leaves the bathroom, heading anywhere to get away from the funeral home. "What did you see?"

"I saw your company's website. Very nicely designed, by the way. And I saw your Facebook profile. I love that picture of you and that girl with the dark hair in Florida. You looked so happy by the ocean."

Annabeth can't tell if Percy is being sarcastic or not. "Thanks," She mutters, ducking into her car. Her brain will lead her home, so she decides to focus on the conversation with Percy. "Any other private information you have found via the Internet?"

"Not much. I saw you have a Spotify account, Miss Annie Chase 656, but I couldn't see your Playlists."

Annabeth is shocked. "How in the world did you find that?"

Percy laughs. "Well, I also looked at Luke's Facebook profile, and he called you Annie on a dating anniversary post or something. So I downloaded Spotify because you can tell a lot about a person through their music choices. I spent an hour trying to find your profile with Annabeth Chase, but then I realized you could've used a nickname."

"How did you know the 656 part?"

"It's the second sequence of numbers in your phone number, dummy."

"I knew that!" Annabeth splutters, "I was seeing if you did." But even as Annabeth speaks, she realizes it is a pretty stupid question.

"Aren't you impressed? I'm impressed. I never knew I could find things so easily about people on the Internet." To his credit, Percy sounds genuinely surprised.

"I'm actually a little creeped out, if you must know."

Percy takes a breath, then pauses. "The wake was tonight, wasn't it?" He asks softly.

"Yes, it was." Annabeth's words come out clipped because she forces each one out while holding back tears.

Suddenly, she realizes where she is. "Oh my gods," She says to herself. _So much for my brain leading me._ "Percy, I have to go."

Percy sighs. Strangely, he says, "See you soon, Annabeth."

Annabeth shoves her phone into her purse and gets out of the car. Sunset Park's streetlights are on, lighting up the park at night. Annabeth distinctly remembers her and Luke's first date here, under the stars just like tonight. They walked around the park, holding hands. Luke bought her coffee from Sun House Cafe right across the street from the park. He kissed her for the first time on a bench under a tree.

Annabeth wipes away the tears that have slid down her cheeks and sighs. _I shouldn't have come here._

A crunch of leaves from behind her makes the hair on her neck stand up straight. She puts a hand in her purse quickly, and gets ready to pull out the Pepper Spray if she needs to.

"I also saw the post about your first date with him. I had a very strong hunch you would come here."

 _Percy._ Annabeth whirls around, furious. "I thought you were someone who was going to attack me!" She shouts.

Percy looks apologetic. "Oh. I'm sorry," His face brightens again with that grin. "Do you need someone to take you home? You don't look in any condition to be driving."

Annabeth forces a laugh. "There isn't a law against crying while driving."

"You could get hurt." Percy points out.

 _Like Luke,_ Annabeth thinks. "How did you get here?"

"I borrowed my mom's car." He pauses, studying Annabeth's face. She wants to look away, but that would be rude. Plus, his eyes might just be her new favorite color. "She wants to thank you."

Annabeth is confused. "For what? All I did was take up room in her house and eat her cookies."

Percy smiles, a genuine smile that lights up his eyes. "Annabeth, it's mostly thanks to you that she left Gabe."

Annabeth gasps. "Really, Percy?" Percy nods. "Oh my gods, that's great! Wow! But… how is that partly thanks to me?"

"She really liked you. And she didn't want people to see her as someone who would just bow down to that kind of abuse. So you kind of hit her like a wake up call, bringing me to her even though you had a huge other thing on your mind."

Annabeth was touched. She didn't get the impression that Sally liked her that much. "What did she do?"

"She knew for a while he wasn't paying his taxes. She looked into it, and he had been embezzling from the company he bribed his way into." Percy's eyes shine. "She reported him. He is on probation, and has to repay all the money he stole."

Annabeth leans closer, happy for Sally.

"She filed a restraining order, Annabeth."

Annabeth allows herself to smile. "Percy, that is wonderful!"

"I know. I'm so happy he's is out of our lives." He stares at Annabeth. "Are you going to be okay?"

Annabeth sighs. "Yeah, Percy. I'm going to talk to Luke's attorney tomorrow about the will."

Percy raises his eyebrows. "Most people his age don't have a will. Do you need me to drive you home?"

Annabeth shakes her head. "I'll be fine."

Percy bites his lip and looks like he is fighting himself over something. "I'll… I'm going to call you tomorrow afternoon to make sure you are okay."

Annabeth nods and waves. "Bye, Percy."

Percy begins to follow her, then corrects himself. They both head in the directions of their cars, occasionally looking back to where the other was.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Another chapter! I really, really, really wanted to get this one written. Hope you guys like it. Enjoy!**

 **XOXO Nerd**

"Ethan," Annabeth says, shocked, "I didn't know that you were Luke's attorney."

Ethan smirks, sitting behind his wooden desk like a king. He folds his hands on his desk and stares at her. "Come in."

 _Don't tell me what to do._ But Annabeth bites her cheek and forces a smile. "It's nice to see you again. Did you tell me you were Luke's attorney at the wake?"

Ethan raises an eyebrow. "I'm afraid it must have slipped my mind."

 _Yeah, right. And I'm the daughter of an ancient Greek goddess._ "That's alright. Do you mind if I-"

"Yes, please sit." Ethan pulls out a folder from a drawer in his desk. It is filled with documents. Ethan sifts through them until he pulls one out. "Ah, the last will and testament of Luke Castellan."

Annabeth stirs in her seat, anxious to leave. Ethan's office is almost as cold as his voice, and the chair is hard. She just wants this to be over with. She wishes she would just wake up to have Luke there beside her.

"He left almost everything to you." Ethan sounds… Surprised? _Why?_

"Why is that a surprise?"

Ethan jumps, then looks up at her. "Nevermind. He left some money for Chiron and Thalia Grace, but the rest of his money and the insurance payout goes to you. Plus, you get the house you two owned together, and all of his possessions are yours to decide what to do with. Contact me if you must. Good day."

Annabeth frowns and hardens her eyes. "I'm _not_ going anywhere until you tell me why you were surprised he left everything to me."

Ethan clenches his jaw. "Fine." A glimmer in his eye makes Annabeth want to punch him. "Did you see Kelli, at the wake?"

Annabeth stomach sinks. "Yes. Red eyes, dark hair?"

Ethan smiles. "Precisely. I am sorry to tell you that Luke was cheating on you."

Annabeth's vision goes red. "You're lying."

"I am not. Swear on my, ah, good eye."

Annabeth clenches her fists, searching for something to say. Luke couldn't have been cheating on her. She saw him every day, he always looked at her the same… "Last March…" Annabeth says aloud, it finally dawning on her.

Annabeth looks up at Ethan, and his eyes give her the answer. "There was no lawyer's conference in California, was there?"

Ethan sits there, blankly.

"WAS THERE?" Annabeth screams.

"Of course not. Kelli had been one of his clients. She is very persuasive, you know. She came in to visit him at lunch every day, whispered things in Luke's ears, against his lips."

Blood pounds in Annabeth's ears. She wants to scream, just to let it all out… _but Luke would want that. He would want to see me in pain, wouldn't he?_

It's like Ethan reads her mind. "If it helps, he tried to resist her at first. He tried to pass her off to me as a client, and I would've been perfectly fine with that, honestly. But she got inside his head." Ethan pauses, looking at Annabeth. "Or his heart." He drawls. "And every. Single. Day. She came here, went in his office. I was personally worried you would show up with a gun, one of these days, but I guess he was smarter than you."

Annabeth snaps. She tears Ethan out of his chair, pushes him up against the wall, and growls, "Don't you _ever_ say that he was smarter than me. He is a dirty _bastard_ who deserves to rot in hell."

For good measure, she smacks Ethan and walks toward the door. But as she swings it open, she pauses. "And don't you even _think_ about calling the police on me. I've been a close friend to the owner of this firm ever since I designed his mansion." She spits.

The only thing that makes Annabeth feel better is seeing Ethan, curled up in a corner with a face as white as snow.

Annabeth holds back her tears until she gets into the car. Then the angry, hot tears stream down her face, and she sits there, sobbing. _I was so stupid. I thought that he loved me._ Gods, _what if I would've_ married _him?_

She pulls out her phone and dials a number. It goes straight to voicemail. "Thanks, Chiron." She mutters.

Next, she tries Thalia's phone. "Hey girlfriend!" Thalia's voice makes Annabeth feel a little bit better.

"Thals-" Annabeth sobs, but Thalia cuts her off. "Listen, Annie, I'm so sorry but I'm busy right now. Call me back? Okay, bye."

Annabeth cries harder as Thalia hangs up. As she checks the time on her phone, she curses to herself. _I was supposed to pick up Luke's stuff from the auto shop._ They couldn't save the car, but they were able to tear it apart to get whatever he had inside.

Annabeth starts the car and heads toward the auto shop. A voice in her head says "There is no law against crying while driving," And she almost laughs. _Percy. He would understand._ Suddenly she feels less guilty about spending so much time with Percy so soon after Luke's death. _At least I waited till you_ died _to spend time with another person, Luke._

She quickly goes inside, talks to the manager, and is handed a bag. Annabeth hates that everyone in the shop can tell she was crying. A mechanic even comes up to her and says, "I'm sorry for your loss, Miss." _I'm not,_ Annabeth thinks.

She waits until she gets into the car to look inside. There is a wallet, a few papers from the firm, his phone, and his _ring._ Annabeth was almost certain the auto shop only dealt with the car, not the body.

Annabeth walks back inside and finds the manager. "Sir, can you tell me if this was on the man or just in the car?"

The man gives her a strange look, but shakes his head. "If I'm correct, it was in the glovebox, Ma'am."

Annabeth thanks him and goes back to her car. _So he wasn't wearing his ring._ Annabeth has a strong suspicion he was going to visit Kelli. She turns on his phone, and is surprised to find it isn't dead. It has 12% of battery left.

Annabeth enters his passcode and hits Messages. _Let's see who you've been texting, Luke._ She sees a conversation with her, a conversation with Thalia, with Chiron, with Ethan, and with _Kelli._

Annabeth opens the conversation, and scrolls up to read later messages. She stares at the last two messages sent.

 **Kelli:** Are you coming over?

 **Luke:** Yeah. We need to talk.

Annabeth shakes her head and opens the conversation with Ethan. She reads the messages from the day he died.

 **Ethan:** Duuuuude. Word at the firm

is ur gonna break up with Kelli.

 **Luke:** Yeah, so?

 **Ethan:** R u gonna tell Annabeth?

 **Luke:** No. But it won't happen

Again. She doesn't need to

know

 **Ethan:** Ok whatever u think,

r u going over now?

 **Luke:** After dinner w/ annabeth.

Bye.

 **Ethan:** Kiss Kelli for me

Annabeth closes her eyes, trying to make the world disappear. The new information just makes it worse, knowing he was going to end it but not even tell Annabeth. Annabeth almost wishes she never found out about him cheating in the first place. _Almost._

A knock on her car window startles her. She opens her eyes to see two green eyes and a head of dark, messy hair. She rolls down her window. "Are you following me, Percy?"


	6. Chapter 6

Percy laughs. "No, I wasn't following you. Honestly."

Annabeth looks at him doubtfully.

"I swear! Do you know where you are?"

Annabeth looks up at the auto shop's sign. "Superior Care Auto Center."

Percy snorts. "Yeah. Do you know what street you are parked on?"

Annabeth looks around until she spots a green sign. "Nineteenth…"

Percy stares at her expectantly.

Annabeth suddenly remembers. "You live in an apartment on nineteenth street!"

"Yeah. And I was wandering home after work and I just happened to see this familiar blue Toyota Camry. I thought to myself, no this can't be her, cause that would be weird, right! But look at this, it's you."

Annabeth likes how Percy's voice has an edge of sarcasm to it, but just enough that it is noticeable. "You must be so happy you have someone to drive you home!" She jokes. "And what job do you have that you get off at," Annabeth checks her phone, "Noon?"

Percy's face reddens. "Uh… I" Percy mumbles something Annabeth can't understand.

"You mumbled, I didn't hear." Annabeth didn't think it was possible, but Percy's face turned a deeper shade of red.

"I work the night shift at a gas station."

Annabeth thought for a second about what would make Percy feel less embarrassed. "Oh! I have always wanted to do that!"

Percy stares at her. "If you are going to lie, you might as well make it believable, Annabeth." He says coldly.

Now Annabeth's face turns red. "No," She protests, "I really have! I love watching people. I've always wondered what type of people come to a gas station at three in the morning. They must have great stories to tell you!"

A hint of a smile appears on Percy's face. "I usually don't talk to random strangers who order weird items at ungodly hours." Percy stares at the steering wheel, thinking about something.

"But there's this customer who comes in _every single_ Monday night at 1:30 A.M., and she always gets the _exact same thing_! A bag of Cheetos and a Vanilla Root Beer from the fridge. She always pays with the exact same amount of change as needed, and wears her pajamas."

Annabeth smiles. "Maybe every Monday night she has a movie marathon with her best friends, and everyone is supposed to bring their own snack. Maybe they even watch the same thing every week! Oh, Percy, that's so cool!"

Percy smirks. "You should meet me at my work on Monday night. My shift starts at eight. You can wear your pajamas and sit behind the counter watching people."

Annabeth freezes. _Is that a date?_ It sounds like a lot of fun to Annabeth.

Suddenly Percy grimaces. "Oh, gods, Annabeth I forgot about your fiance. I'm so stupid for thinking you'd want to… so soon… I'm sorry..." He looks down at his feet.

Annabeth wants to laugh at the irony. She decides to be blunt. "Percy, Luke cheated on me."

Percy slowly looks up at her. "What?"

"He cheated on me with a client. Come in, I'll tell you _all_ about it."

Percy slides into the passenger seat and faces Annabeth.

Annabeth recounts her day to Percy, starting with Ethan and ending with the phone. She hands the phone to Percy. "See for yourself. Password's 1993. He was born then, 23 now."

Percy reads the messages slowly. His face breaks into disgust as he hands the phone back to Annabeth. "How could he do that to you?"

Annabeth sighs. "I don't know."

Percy's face fills with resolve. "I know what to do. Can you drive me home? It's not that far, maybe two minutes from here with the traffic lights."

Annabeth is happy for the distraction. "Sure."

She pulls out of her parking spot and listens to Percy's directions until she spots the complex. Annabeth sits in the car while Percy gets out. He walks halfway to the building when he stops and turns around. "Come on!" He shouts.

Annabeth is confused, very confused, but follows. Percy unlocks his apartment door and they go inside. Percy opens a door that appears to be the opening of a closet and pulls out something that he hides behind his back.

"Let's go to the alleyway to the side of the building." Percy suggests.

If it had been anyone else, Annabeth would've ran back to her car. But Percy wasn't like the guys she went to highschool with who only wanted one thing. He was even different than Luke. Luke always valued her opinion and treated her well, but Percy was truly a gentleman. So far he hadn't done anything that didn't put her interests first. Annabeth didn't think Percy would _ever_ do anything to purposely hurt her.

When they reach the alleyway, Percy reveals what he had been hiding. "A hammer?" Annabeth questions.

Percy holds out his arm. "Do you still have the phone?"

"Yeah, but…" Annabeth's eyes widen. "Percy-"

"Come on Annabeth, this loser treated you like a piece of trash. He didn't respect you enough to stay faithful, and you need to let out some anger. Don't you?"

Annabeth _was_ very angry. She didn't even think she was hurt anymore. She was angry at Luke for cheating, and angry at herself for falling for it. For him.

Annabeth grabs the hammer and sets the phone on the ground. She kneels down next to the phone and lifts the hammer. "Ah!" Annabeth shouts as the hammer hits the phone, shattering the screen.

She hits the phone again and again, each time a new memory of her and Luke replaying in her head. _Luke kissing her under the tree in Sunset Park. Luke asking her out on a date. Luke giving her his promise ring at prom. Luke kissing Annabeth at their graduation while graduation caps are raining down around them. Luke and Annabeth's dinners during the college years. Luke proposing a year ago on the anniversary of the day he and Thalia met Annabeth._

Annabeth is jarred away from her memories by Percy's hand on her shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?" He asks softly.

Annabeth is surprised to find the phone in very small pieces and no tears on her cheeks. _I've finally run out of tears._ She thinks. "Yeah," Annabeth says, knowing the words are true as she says them, "I'm much better. Thank you."

Percy smiles. "No problem."

Annabeth shakes herself as she realizes she has been staring at Percy's eyes. "I better go. Thalia and Chiron would want to know, and so would Malcom." She rises, brushing off the dirt from her shorts.

"Are we still on for Monday?"

Annabeth thinks about it. "Yeah. That sounds great."

Percy leads her back to her car. "Call me if you need anything, okay?"

Annabeth knows he means it, it isn't just words to make her feel better. "I will."

She can't seem to take her eyes off of Percy in the mirror as she drives away.


	7. Chapter 7

Annabeth makes sure to wear her favorite pajamas on Monday night. The pants are like leggings, and they have owls on them. The shirt is a plain pink, but Thalia says it makes her eyes and hair "pop".

Telling everyone was terrible. Thalia cursed Luke and stomped around for awhile, until she settled into a permanent stage of disgust at the mere mention of Luke's name. Annabeth refused to tell Thalia Kelli's name, for Kelli's safety.

Annabeth could tell Malcom felt sorry for her. He said that if he ever "Goes to hell and sees Luke" he will be sure to "make sure he dies a second time". Annabeth doubted Malcom could ever hurt more than a fly, but she was glad Malcom was supporting her.

Chiron's reaction was the worst. His sadness and disappointment toward Luke would be enough to make anyone cry. Annabeth almost wished he would've been mad. Anything would've been more bearable than the heavy disappointment filling Chiron's eyes.

Annabeth pulls up to the gas station and climbs out of her car. The door to the building makes a little ringing, and Percy's face brightens when he looks up at her. "Hey!"

Annabeth smiles and looks around the shop. It's a decent sized gas station, with freezers and shelves full of candy and any junk food imaginable. The counter is at the front of the store so that the workers can see everything. Annabeth would've designed it the same way, except maybe alcoves in the walls for more shelving space.

Percy opens the wooden bar and lets her behind the counter. "It's pretty roomy back here. You should be comfortable, and if you aren't you can leave. It's no big deal, I mean-"

"Percy, it's fine." Annabeth thinks it is sweet Percy cares so much.

"Do you like owls?" Percy asks.

Annabeth smiles, looking at her leggings and owl slippers. "Yeah. They've always seemed so wise, you know? And I read the Harry Potter books when I was a kid. I always wished I could have an owl."

Percy laughs. "I never read the books. It was too hard for me."

Annabeth raises an eyebrow. "You don't seem like the kind to give up…"

Percy shakes his head. "I have dyslexia and ADHD. It makes reading hard sometimes. I tried at school, for my mom, but…"

Annabeth understands. "I have ADHD, too. It makes it hard to focus sometimes, so I understand what you mean."

Annabeth is sitting on the counter when someone comes in and the bell rings. Percy stands up straighter and smiles. "Hi, welcome to… Leo, what are you doing here?"

The man has scrawny arms and legs, and a devilish smile that tells Annabeth he is the kind of person to throw spitballs in a classroom. "I have come in peace to see you, my brother," He says.

Annabeth can't believe her ears. _Is this guy joking?_

Percy senses her discomfort and says, "Annabeth, this is Leo. Leo, Annabeth." He turns to face Annabeth. "Leo has been my friend since we both went to a 'special school' for troublemakers."

Percy drops his voice to a whisper, "He's odd, but go with it. He's a really great friend."

The whole time Percy was talking, Leo was staring at Annabeth. "If you break his heart, don't worry about me coming after you. You look strong and I am _not._ "

Percy blushes. "Leo, we aren't-"

"I know, I know, you guys aren't expecting company. I'll just leave you two here. Do _whatever_ you want. I can even stand guard outside, make a noise if someone is coming, if you'd like."

He scrunches up his face in what Annabeth assumes is a wink.

Percy rolls his eyes. "Leo, we aren't dating. Annabeth just…" Percy trails off and stares at the floor.

"My fiance just died. Then I found out he was cheating on me. Percy's been my support system. All of my other friends seem to be too busy."

Leo whistles. "That's a hard load to carry. But you look strong. You'll get through it," Leo turns to leave. As he pushes the door open he stops. "It doesn't get easier, though. You get stronger." He murmurs.

Annabeth and Percy watch Leo get into his car and drive away.

"What was that all about?" Annabeth asks.

Percy frowns. "His mother was a mechanic. One day the shop caught fire, and he was locked outside. He couldn't get in to save her. When the police came, they made the logical conclusion, that since Leo was the only one outside he set fire to the shop. That's why he was at the special school."

Percy sighs. "And when things got better; he found a steady girlfriend who was _way_ out of his league, went back to school, and he even started a mechanic business called Bunker Nine. His girlfriend, Calypso, was kidnapped."

Annabeth draws in breath sharply.

"Some think it was her long-lost father, or maybe a distant relative, because Calypso didn't have any enemies around here. Everyone loved her. The police don't have anything."

Annabeth couldn't imagine living a life that hard. She did run away, but she lived on the streets for barely two weeks when Chiron took her in with Luke and Thalia. And Luke's death had turned out to be an okay thing. He cheated, and Annabeth liked to believe she would've found out and ended it with him.

Annabeth decides to lighten the mood. "Want to play truth or dare?"

Percy's face lights up. "Sure. Can we ask any questions we want to, even if it's personal?"

Annabeth thinks about it, then nods. "Why not?"

"Truth or dare?" Annabeth asks.

"Truth."

"What's your deal with your father, Percy? You've mentioned him a few times but haven't said anything about him today."

Percy fights against his frown. "He left a few months before I was born. My mom said he was an awesome guy, he loved the ocean like I do, but I don't understand how an awesome guy could leave my mom. I kinda blame him for Gabe. If he was here, Gabe wouldn't be."

Annabeth smiles. "Thanks for telling me."

"Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"What do you think about us?" Percy stares at her, unwavering.

Annabeth feels her face grow warm. "I… I like you," She finally says, staring at the floor. "I really do. And I think we could make a great us."

Percy's face moves closer towards hers. She looks into his eyes, and they draw her in. She moves closer as well. But at the last second before Percy's lips touch hers, she turns her head to the side. _He can betray me like Luke did._ Percy's lips hit her cheek instead and he steps back, staring anywhere but Annabeth.

"I-I'm sorry," He stammers, "I thought when you said…"

Annabeth feels terrible. "I just… I don't think I'm ready yet. It's so soon after Luke's death, and I want to take things really slowly."

Percy still doesn't meet her eyes.

"I… I should go." Annabeth leaves the store and gets into her car. The whole car ride home, her cheek tingles like it is sparking with electricity.

 _There goes my support system._


End file.
